The proposed comprehensive bilateral FTA between Bangladesh and New Zealand also received particular attention during the meeting.
A high-level policy meeting held between Bangladesh and New Zealand at the headquarters of New Zealand’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade (MFAT) in Wellington.
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A high-level policy meeting held between Bangladesh and New Zealand at the headquarters of New Zealand’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade (MFAT) in Wellington.
Bangladesh held a high-level policy meeting with New Zealand to further strengthen and diversify trade and diplomatic relations with the country.
The meeting took place at the headquarters of New Zealand’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade (MFAT) in Wellington, said a press release issued today (11 August).
During the meeting, Bangladesh sought New Zealand’s active support for its membership of the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP), an extension of the transition period following its graduation from the Least Developed Country (LDC) category until November 2029, and the conclusion of a comprehensive bilateral Free Trade Agreement (FTA) between the two countries.
According to the press release, Bangladesh said it had already submitted detailed responses to the questionnaires required for RCEP membership and was pursuing a range of reforms to align the institutional and regulatory framework of the country with the high-standard trade disciplines of the agreement.
The reforms include initiatives to reduce tariffs on essential industrial raw materials and high-tech machinery, as well as plans to shift telecommunications, financial services and logistics from a ‘positive list’ to a ‘negative list’ approach in order to further liberalise these sectors.
Bangladesh is also working to introduce modern laws and policies covering competition, patents, copyright and data protection, added the press release.
Highlighting New Zealand’s role as a founding member and an influential participant in RCEP, the press release said that Bangladesh called for Wellington’s active policy support for its bid to join the trade bloc.
The meeting also discussed the need for additional time in Bangladesh’s LDC graduation process.
Bangladesh has applied to the United Nations General Assembly to extend its transition period from the scheduled 2026 deadline to November 2029. It sought New Zealand’s support for the application, citing a range of global and domestic economic circumstances.
Bangladesh stressed that it had no intention of delaying graduation indefinitely. Rather, it said the additional time would be used to implement a sustainable and well-structured national preparation programme and establish a stronger foundation for the economy.
Against this backdrop, Bangladesh sought New Zealand’s support for its position at the upcoming session of the UN General Assembly.
The proposed comprehensive bilateral FTA between Bangladesh and New Zealand also received particular attention during the meeting.
The press release said, if implemented, the agreement would create opportunities for New Zealand to expand its exports of dairy products, agricultural machinery and metal products in Bangladesh’s market of nearly 17 crore consumers.
For Bangladesh, meanwhile, an FTA could provide more stable and predictable access to the New Zealand market for garments, pharmaceuticals, leather goods and information technology services after the country’s graduation from the LDC category.
The New Zealand delegation was led by Sarah Meymand, divisional manager of the Trade Negotiations and Policy Division, and Jonas Holland, unit manager while the Bangladeshi delegation was led by Commerce Secretary Md Ataur Rahman Khan and officials from the relevant sections of the ministry’s Foreign Trade Agreement (FTA) Wing.
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